MavConnect: One-stop shop for students and professors

Technological advancements in society today are phenomenal in almost every aspect. The world of technology seeks to go beyond the horizon and always comes up with outstanding material to aid people in accomplishing more in a simpler manner, making their lives a bit less of a hassle.

Minnesota State University, Mankato officially launched its new MavConnect Program this fall, which is a student success platform software system that can be used to support, retain and assist students on campus. The Assistant Director for Students Success and Communications, Amy Staloch, who is also part of the implementation team for the MavConnect Program, is thrilled as she feels this program will be highly beneficial for all at MNSU.

“The MavConnect Program allows for online scheduling with advisors and instructors while also creating a sense of transparency in that information is shared freely in the system, breaking the tedious hassle of explaining the given situation a student may be facing in each time,” Staloch said.

The MavConnect Program acts as an umbrella that runs other software programs such as MavCares and midterm reports, which allows advisors to monitor a student’s progress before engaging or connecting with the student. Starfish Solutions, a Hobsons product, is a resource for the MavConnect Program and is a direct connection for initial support for the software system. MavConnect is MNSU’s brand name for Starfish Solutions, as it connects well with students and can be incorporated superbly within the Maverick culture, giving the program a sense of identity within the university.

“Students see the front and center support,” said Staloch, “thus the program acts as a one-stop shop in that they can view who their advisor is and set up an appointment without having to run to E-services or their degree audit report.”

The program is easy and efficient to use as it just requires a Star ID and password to login in, then allows one to connect to various advisors and instructors in their network.

“The program is based on relationships and roles,” Staloch said. “Roles being duties of an individual’s job. Most faculty members on campus are listed as advisors and some as instructors in the program, thus they are able to view different things based on their roles.”

The MavConnect Program also has a social media aspect to it as it offers the same choices as social media websites such as share, like or connect with an individual.

“Essentially, the program is like a dashboard for students to find what resource may be useful to them and retract the information whenever needed to use in instances it is required,” Staloch said.

The Mavconnect Program will also aid advisors in reaching out to students earlier in order to communicate and check on their progress as the semester goes by.

“The major problem with any new software is getting people to buy into it; therefore, the implementation team urges everyone to at least try it out and see the benefits it has to offer,” Staloch said.

Staloch states that beyond the basics, the Mavconnect Program offers the opportunity of getting to know students earlier on before they arrive on campus.

This will provide advisors additional information that will without a doubt be useful in advising students on what steps to take in their career pathway.

“Overall, I am just excited with the MavConnect program as it offers a variety of possibilities and is a one-stop shop for students to receive support and access resources that will help them succeed throughout their college stay and hopefully beyond that,” Staloch said.

Technology works best when it brings people together and the MavConnect Program is surely a step in the right direction that will undoubtedly become something extraordinary.